“That’s me in the corner/That’s me in the spotlight/Losing my religion…”
These lyrics are from R.E.M.’s 1991 smash hit “Losing My Religion.” While a song about obsessive love, these lines in particular were brought to my mind by President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest rant against the Catholic Church and Christian scripture, when he derided the Judeo-Christian creation story and called God “stupid.”
Also, the phrase “losing my religion,” according to an online source, is an expression from the southern region of the United States that means losing one’s temper or civility, or “being at the end of one’s rope.”
It certainly seems that Duterte is losing not only his temper—he’s always had a short fuse—but also his sense of judgment, discernment, and self-control.
As expected, the usual gang of official brown-nosers leaped to his defense. Communication official Mocha Uson was quick to say that Duterte was pointing out fallacies being taught by priests and there was no offense meant to God.
Bible-thumping senator Manny Pacquiao said that Duterte’s profanity-laden screed should be dismissed because “yung malalim na dahilan ay hindi natin alam, kaya hindi tayo puwede magbigay ng comment.” Well, we haven’t forgotten how he quoted scripture for his own purposes to demean the LGBTQ.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told the Church not to be “onion-skinned” but also said that a three-man panel has been formed to dialogue with church leaders. So after you slap them, you sit down and discuss? What for?
The only one so far among those surrounding the President who seems to have a good grasp on political optics and the consequences of actions is Presidential daughter and Davao City mayor Sara Duterte. She asked the public to ignore whatever her father says about religion.
“Please do not listen to him interpret the Bible or Quran, he is not a priest, a pastor or an imam,” she said in a recent Instagram post. “He is the President, listen only when he speaks about his work. And criticize him on his work not on his ‘talkkalese.”
“Do not waste your negative energy on his interpretation of the Bible, that is his opinion. He is protected by the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression even if he is President,” she added.
But may we remind her, if she claims free speech rights for her father, neither should she in fairness deny the same to the President’s critics, as the same rights cover them.
Going back to the various defenses made in his behalf, it is true that the President has the right to have an opinion on any matter. His statements about a “stupid God” and casting doubt on the Bible’s creation story ties in with the basic arguments of atheists and are nothing new.
That Duterte says he believes in a “universal mind” that has more common sense than the Christian deity relates to the fact that religion and its various aspects such as scripture, dogma, and ritual are constructed and created by humans to serve their own purposes.
That he rails against the Catholic Church in the Philippines and gives away copies of Aries Rufo’s book on church corruption and secrets could be a long-overdue backlash against the immense power the Catholic Church still wields in politics and society to the present day, despite the Constitutional strictures about the separation of church and state.
But the President, because of his position in politics and society, has the responsibility to weigh the words he says in public and discern whether or not they would do good rather than harm. If his words can cause dissension and strife and serve to futher polarize the already divided Filipino nation, why say them out loud? It’s an issue of judgment.
He himself said last Tuesday that he meant to say what he did. “Sinasadya ko ‘yan eh. You know why? This country is in doldrums. I am shaking the tree para mabuhay lahat, para makita ko. I am shaking the tree pati mga salita ko bastos and I am trying to go to the boundaries of hanggang saan,” the President said.
What for, we wonder. He should concentrate on his job. The economy is slipping, the peso is at its lowest in more than a decade, inflation is at an all-time high, we risk losing territory to China because of cowardly appeasement and bad loans, crime is still prevalent, and his drug war and anti-tambay policies are attacks on the poor.
In any case, Duterte has shown time and again that his discernment is questionable. He is, as the American Southerners say, “losing his religion,” becoming less civil and showing less control over his temper.
But yes, he has a right to free speech, so let him stand—or fall—by his own words.
*** Dr. Ortuoste, a writer and researcher, has a PhD in Communication. FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO